GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Grand Rapids Community College President Steven Ender is getting a raise.

Citing his efforts to improve academics and put the college on a sustainable path, the college’s board of trustees voted 5-2 Monday to raise Ender’s base pay from $180,000 to $211,055, a 17 percent increase.

“With his leadership, the college has been very forward thinking,” said Trustee Richard Verburg, who chairs the board of trustees.

But two trustees – Richard Ryskamp and Richard Stewart – voiced opposition to the increase.

They said that while Ender’s performance has been exemplary, the college would be better served by giving him a one-time bonus, rather than a pay increase built into his salary.

“This doesn’t give us flexibility for the future or provide incentives for future performance,” Ryskamp said. “And 17 percent is a lot. That will be a tough act to follow. What are we going to do next year if he gets another good evaluation? Our options will be limited.”
Related:GRCC trustees explain how President Steve Ender is helping the college

Monday’s action marks the first time Ender has seen his base pay increase since coming to GRCC in 2009. In past years, he’s instead opted for a deferred annuity, which is similar to a one-time bonus. Last year, for instance, he received a $12,500 annuity.

College administrators, citing a 2011 compensation study conducted for the college, said Ender’s $31,055 raise will bring his pay in-line with presidents at similar sized institutions.

“I’m grateful to the board that they’ve worked with me to work with the results of the compensation study to try to right-size compensation at our institution,” Ender said.

Ender’s base salary doesn’t show the full scope of his earnings at the college. Payroll data, obtained through Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act, show that in 2012 Ender had compensation totaling $243,844.

His raise was passed the same night that trustees approved the college’s 2013-14 budget, which, among other things, included a 5.1 percent tuition increase for in-district students.

The tuition increase was needed to help cover revenue lost due to declining enrollment and expenses for 70 adjunct faculty who are expected to qualify for health insurance under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, administrators said.

Trustee Bert Bleke said arguments by Ryskamp and Stewart to deny Ender a pay raise were “financial nonsense.” He later apologized for using the phrase.

Ender “is probably the most important individual in the system,” Bleke said. “So what you’re saying is you want to leave him 17 percent behind. We’re giving him a 17 percent raise because he’s 17 percent below market.”

While Ender has received one-time bonuses in the form of deferred annuities in the past, he’s waited until now to push for a pay increase because he first wanted to address pay and compensation among other employee groups at the college, such as faculty, according to administrators.

A 2011 compensation study deemed faculty “highly compensated” when compared to similar colleges in the region. A new faculty association contract approved in March freezes salaries for two years, eliminates pay increases based on longevity and creates a system where future raises are based on merit.

Despite accomplishments such as the new faculty association contract, Stewart opted to vote against Ender’s pay raise.

Increasing the president’s pay would represent an expansion of the budget, the wrong move as the college continues to contend with factors such as declining enrollment, he said.

“These monies will be carried over into next year’s budget, and perhaps augmented by more new increases,” he said. “The net result of this overtime is the continuous expansion of the budget. It’s a process I can’t defend.”